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Original poster

Dodgy mole - any experiences ?

65 replies

Tillyscoutsmum · 15/03/2010 13:47

I've always had lots of moles but now have one which looks and feels a bit dodgy. It is crusty (nice eh ?), has got bigger and itches.

I've made an appointment to see the GP on Friday but just wondered what to expect really ? Will they know immediately if its anything to worry about or will it have to be removed and biopsied (sp ?)

Any experiences and general hand holding gratefully received

OP posts:
foxinsocks · 15/03/2010 13:50

some GPs can do minor ops themselves to remove and then send it off to be biopsied so that might be the quickest way of it being looked at

or you might get a GP like mine who, despite me growing up in a hot country, being fair skinned and having to have yearly mole scans there, when I went to them with a suspicious looking mole was told that if women worried more about giving their children the MMR jab than they did about skin cancer, his life would be a lot easier . I had to force them to remove it, which they did but wanted to charge me for a cosmetic op. I stood my ground and didn't pay but just warning you in advance. I should hope most GPs are more aware of the skin cancer concerns and take it seriously.

fridayschild · 15/03/2010 13:57

Oh dear fox.....

My GP was great: one of her colleagues did minor ops; she took the view better safe than sorry. They thought it was just a mole which had decided to be irritated by my clothes for no good reason.

Cut the offending mole off under a local at the GP the next week and sent it off to be checked out. No problem, no stress.

This was when we lived in the inner city, before we had schools to worry about. Now we are in leafy suburbia I have noticed that the health professionals have a lot less time for middle class angst - quite possibly because they see so much of it. In Zone 1 the middle classes were soooo much rarer.

Deanna1977 · 15/03/2010 13:58

I had a dodgy mole last year. Made an appointment with my GP and was referred to the Dermatologist at a local hospital. Had an appointment through quite quickly.

Dodgy mole was fine BTW! In fact it wasn't a mole but something harmless.

Hope things turn out Ok with you.

GetOrfMoiLand · 15/03/2010 14:00

fox - what a prat of a GP.

Tilly - I had a malignant melanoma 18 months ago. To be honest even though it was a shock at the time I was perfectly fine and was treated very quickly.

I had a mole on the side of my face which had a sort of red ring round it, and had darkened and felt 'hard'. I spent a lot of time in the tropics as a kid and fried, I am also very pale so I do keep a look out for any changes with freckles etc. I went to GP who said it may be something which needed looking at and referred me to a dermatologist for an urgent referral.

I was seen within 5 days. Straight in to specialist, they looked at the mole under some sort of microscope thingie (note technical terms ), they said that it looked very 'active' and needed removal. They did it there and then - cut the mole out with a scalpel, took like a oval shape of skin and stitched it up.

The mole was then analysed, found to be malignant so they called me back to make sure that they had removed the lot, so had to open up stitched and have another excision.

After that all was well. The scar did take a long time to heal, and being on my face felt quite self conscious. However with bio oil it is not very noticeable any more.

I have to go to dermatologist yearly for check on other moles, it is quite likely that I will have another mole which 'turns' due to my history of being badly burnt as a child. However now I have gone through the process I am not scared, but just incredibly vigilant.

One thing which has come out of it - I religiously slather high SPF everywhere now.

So - please don't be scared. If the news does turn out to be bad, it is not necessarily a terrible thing and the treatment is (in my experience) very good and quick.

Hopefully it will be nothing, but if it isn't, don't be too worried.

Best of luck.

Amandoh · 15/03/2010 14:00

I had a mole removed from my face last year as it kept bleeding, healing then bleeding again.

I didn't go straight to my GP. I booked an appointment with The Mole Clinic and had every mole on my body looked at and a couple of them, including the one of my face, were photographed and magnified and then a specialist (In Austria???) had a look and decided if it was worth seeing a doctor.

I have private medical insurance so bypassed my GP and went straight to a skin cancer specialist who removed the mole on my face and sent it off for a biopsy. I got the results a couple of days later and it was fine.

Apparently moles do change so you should get them looked at but don't panic as in most cases they're nothing to worry about.

I hope this helps to put your mind at rest and I hope all goes well on Friday.

Original poster
Tillyscoutsmum · 15/03/2010 14:08

Thanks all.

I know my moles change with pregnancy hormones and this one started changing about the time DS was born so I'm hoping its just that. I've just not had any itch/be sore before.

Fox- at your GP.

OP posts:
GrimmaTheNome · 15/03/2010 14:10

I've had 2 moles removed because DH thought they'd got bigger. Have insurance through work,GP referred me for private treatment straight away - no question that its better safe than sorry and have the thing off and biopsied. Both were fine.

thumbwitch · 15/03/2010 14:14

I have had moles that have itched, bled and grown a bit irregular that have turned out to be nothing.

After I had DS, a couple of moles I had started to grow quite a lot, becoming much more protuberant and the one on the side of my neck (which I'd had since a very small child) was attracting DS's attention so I went to the GP and he said no problem with getting it removed and biopsied. I had a skin tag frozen off as well - he did that himself; and the neck and a leg mole were taken off by a GP who specialised in mole removal. Biopsies were clear.

I also have fair freckly pale skin and burnt a few times when young so will be getting checked regularly, particularly now that I live in Australia.

GetOrf - glad your melanoma was treated so fast and well!

sausagepastie · 15/03/2010 14:15

Tilly, you should get it removed even if the GP says it's nothing. They often miss dodgy moles, you must insist.
That's really important. the next important thing is DON'T let him 'shave' it off. That's called a shave biopsy and is a really bad idea because the whole thing about melanoma, if you should be unlucky enough to have one - and try to remember it is very rare still - is that you need to know the depth. Without that your treatment and follow up will be more tricky to organise.

Make sure he removes it as an excisional biopsy if possible, and if he can't, then get a quick referral to a derm who will do just that.

Write these things down if you think it will help but they are very important.

HTH and I sincerely hope it is not malignant. It might just be atypical. good luck and please let us know!

sausagepastie · 15/03/2010 14:18

Getorf - sorry to hear you had an MM, I'm glad you've had no further problems.

Can I ask which centre you were treated at? There are some that are very good, and get on the case very quickly.

Hope that's the last you ever have to think about it!

GetOrfMoiLand · 15/03/2010 14:24

Yes, I have had no problems since luckily!

I didn't go through a centre as such - I was just referred to the dermatology dept of Gloucester Royal Infirmary by my GP.

Couldn't fault the service, they were excellent.

sausagepastie · 15/03/2010 17:40

That sounds really good goml,
it must have been a thin melanoma to only have yearly checks - that's the best sort to have! Usually anything over a millimetre and they will do a node biopsy and checks every 3 months.
Very often the thinner ones cause no problems later so they don't check so often!

sausagepastie · 15/03/2010 17:42
choclab · 15/03/2010 18:07

this is one of my worries , im off to clinic tomorrow ...i have sun damage/ freckles /moles , had full top to toe check at skin clinic and saw dermatologist last end oct all was fine , but worried about one on face sun damage spot , went 6 weeks ago he said all looked ok , but still want to get checked again , although theres no change since i last saw him , i do suffer with health anxiety so this has just sent me over ..

Original poster
Tillyscoutsmum · 15/03/2010 20:04

I'm sure it'll be fine choclab but good luck and let us know how you get on.

sausage - thanks for the info

OP posts:
choclab · 15/03/2010 20:11

thanks , will do , and didnt mean to ambush your thread sorry .
i try to look at it as , if is something , as caught early can be sorted ...(easy said than done but i do try )

and as i went only 6 weeks ago im sure if he was in any doubt would want me back sooner ...this is just a follow up as he gave e some cream to try to see if would lighten my sun damage patches ..

thanks for listening .

foxinsocks · 15/03/2010 20:28

lol fridays, that's exactly what it is

amandoh - thanks for mentioning the mole clinic. Hadn't heard of them! I am going to get an appointment. It was just reassuring, where I used to live, to get mole scans. Like others on this thread, I was fair skinned and got burnt a fair amount as a child in a hot country (grr) so just want to be sure (as I have a lot of moles and some big ones).

good luck tilly, hope it all goes ok

nightcat · 15/03/2010 20:48

Tilly, when they offer biopsy, be aware that you can actually choose to have it out then and there rather than wait again.

sausagepastie · 15/03/2010 21:02

That's often the case Nightcat but again, watch out because some gps still do it by shave biopsy - this is not the way to do it, it really buggers up the staging and prognosis side of things. They need to take a good section of the skin to get a proper idea what's going on.

I'd say unless the wait is going to be more than a few weeks, refuse this kind of biopsy and go to the derm instead.

Hopefully it'll not be an issue anyway, but best to be aware for others reading the thread also.

nightcat · 15/03/2010 21:36

I meant when you are offered a biopsy by a derm (not a GP). I don't think GP would do a proper biopsy as such unless the thing was a minor wart.

sausagepastie · 16/03/2010 07:02

Oh ok, thanks for clarifying, sorry.

Original poster
Tillyscoutsmum · 19/03/2010 16:27

choclab - how did you get on ??

My GP has referred me to a Derm. He has requested an urgent one so should hopefully get something in a week or two. I suppose that's a good thing really

OP posts:
palacemonkey · 19/03/2010 16:49

Hi, I just wanted to say to you all that I'm really happy you are all so sun aware.

I don't want to scare anyone (and 99% of the time these are sorted really quickly and easily) but my DH passed away last January from a very aggressive malignant melanoma. He was 29 and our son was 7 months old at the time. He grew up in Bristol but had red hair and fair freckly skin, so was more prone to skin issues. He also had a family history of melanoma. Moles and freckles NEED to be checked regularly to keep on top of any problems.

As I said, I don't want to scare anyone, but I am so happy to see so many people getting theirs checked out.

Original poster
Tillyscoutsmum · 19/03/2010 16:51

palacemonkey I am so sorry for your loss.

OP posts:
choclab · 19/03/2010 18:40

so sorry palacemonkey...